I swallowed. "Uh… yes. We're married."
I saw how his brow arched. “And that you were my secretary before you became my wife. That we got married here in New York the day of my accident."
I was suddenly caught off guard. Shit. I should've asked Austin all the things he said to Xander.
"Yes. That's true. I was your former secretary. We met in the… uh, office."
Damn.
I should've prepared for the things I'm going to say to him. I wasn't ready.
“Are you really my wife?” he continued, his face full of doubt.
Maybe this was really a bad idea. But I knew I couldn't back out now. I wanted to blame Austin for putting me in this situation.
"Of course, Xander. Why would I lie to you about this?"
"Because I can't believe I'm already married, Charity," he said, making me nervous how serious his face was. "I'm not the marrying type. In fact, marriage is the last thing I'd do in life. So waking up and finding out I'm married was big news to me."
I swallowed and tried to calm myself. Good thing Xander couldn't see me now. But if he does, he knew right away I was bluffing.
"We're really married, Xander."
"Alright." He nodded at me. "But if I found out that you're lying… I won't be able to forgive you, Charity. You know that I hate the most? People who lie to me."
"Well… it was Austin who told you we're married. Don't you trust your cousin? Do you think he'll lie to you?"
"Of course, I trust Austin," he answered with a frown. "I just felt like something was wrong. Or maybe I just couldn't believe that I am already married."
I bit my lower lip. "I understand if you're doubting our relationship. You've lost your memories. You didn't want any of this."
His eyebrows crossed. "It's just that something's really amiss. Austin said that the accident happened on the day of our marriage. How come I left you on the night of our wedding? Aren't we supposed to be on our honeymoon?"
Damn. Of course. Xander was smart. He would ask about those things.
"Well… we really didn't intend to marry here in New York," I explained. "We're just here for business. But while we're on the plane to New York, you proposed to me." Well, at least, that part was true. He really did give me a ring on our flight to New York.
"After we attended the business conference, you suddenly asked me to marry you," I continued. "Everything was sudden. It was Austin who served as our witness. Then on the night of our wedding, you went out to buy something for me." I decided to lie about the last part. He would find it weird if I told him that he went out that night to meet a friend. "Then… I found out about your accident on the local news."
He scoffed. "I couldn't believe I did those things. I never do things unplanned. That's so unlike me."
"But you did those things, Xander…"
He didn't say anything. But his frown deepened.
Ever since he woke up from the accident, I haven't seen him smile yet. And now he's scowling. I never witnessed that expression from him before.
"I have our marriage license to prove to you that I'm telling the truth. I'll show it to you when your eyesight gets back."
"Alright." He nodded and said nothing more.
"Excuse me."
I wanted to thank the nurse that entered the room. I took a step back and sat on the couch as she checked on Xander's condition.
"So, how did we get into a relationship when you were my secretary?" Xander asked me the moment the nurse left us.
"I remembered my secretary's Rhea. Did you replace her?"
I nodded even if knew he couldn't see me. "Yeah."
"Why was she replaced?"
I cleared my throat. "She's unprofessional. You fired her for trying to seduce you."
His frown came back. "What about you? How did we get into a relationship when you're my secretary? I don't do office romance. Did you seduce me?"
My lips parted. "Of course not. I never did that. I was nothing but professional at work. Although I admit that I developed a crush on you, I never acted on it."
"Then what happened and we ended up like this?"
Now, the lies start. "It was you who did the first move. It started when you brought me to a lunch meeting with a potential business partner. You protected me when the man tried to seduce me.
After that day, you got sick and I visited you in your unit. Before I bid you goodbye to go back to the office, you suddenly kissed me."
"What? I kissed you? Damn. What the hell happened to me? Did I really like you that much for me to cross that line?"
I bit my lower lip. "Well… you told me you like me and you wanted us to date. Everything happened so fast after that, Xander."
He shook his head and let out a dry laugh. "I really can't believe I fell in love and got married. Let alone with my secretary."
I felt something prick my heart. I felt like he was insulting me. And I couldn't help but be hurt.
He cleared his throat. "Can you describe yourself to me, Charity? Based on your story, it seems like I'm head over heels in love with you. If that's the case, then you must have been really pretty."
My cheeks started to heat up. Head over heels in love with me? How I wish it was true. "I'm just average looking," I said. "The only distinct feature in my face is my eyes. They're green."
"Green?" He frowned.
"I'm half-Greek. My mother is Filipina and my father is Greek."
"What else?"
I cleared my throat. "I'm petite with short black hair and an average face."
His frown deepened. "You're not even my type, then. I can't believe I'd fall for someone who's not even my type." And as if what he said wasn't enough, he even let out a disappointed scowl.
"Well, I couldn't believe I'd fall in love with you, either," I couldn't help but say out of spite. He was talking like he wasn't the Xander I know.
Xander arched his brow, like he didn't expect what he had heard from me. "Why? What's your type of guy?"
I pursed my lips. "Well, I want someone… like Tom Hiddleston."
He let out a snide. "Well, that sucks cause I'm no Tom Hiddleston."
I was about to open my mouth to answer back when we heard a knock on the door. This time, it was his doctor.
"I'll just call Austin outside," I said to Xander when the doctor asked for him.
Before I left the room, I heard Xander call me.
"What's our endearment, Charity?"
I stopped. Endearment? Come on, Charity. Think fast. "Uh… sweetheart. That's what we called each other. Sweetheart."